Ren Kuroda casually caught one of the black contract sheets drifting down from the sky.
The contents were written clearly across the dark parchment:
Gift Game Name:『The PLED PIPER of HAMELIN』
Participants:All contestants, hosts, and Communities currently located within the 3,999,999th Outer Gate, 4,000,000th Outer Gate, and Boundary Wall Stage Area.
Designated Game Leader (for both Host and Participant sides):The Sun's Executor — Stellar Spirit Shiroyasha.
Host Victory Condition:Subjugate and/or kill all participants.
Participant Victory Conditions:
Defeat the Host's designated Game Leader.
Break the false legacy and establish the true legacy.
Oath:In accordance with honor, banner, and host authority, this Gift Game is hereby enacted.
Seal:『GrimmGrimoireHameln』
Just as Ren had predicted, the Fire Dragon Birth Festival would not pass peacefully.
The appearance of black contract documents meant only one thing—
A Demon Lord had arrived.
And because Ren and the others were within the Stage Area, they had been forcibly dragged into the Gift Game.
The moment people realized what those black papers signified, panic erupted across the 3,999,999th to 4,000,000th Outer Gates.
In the lower levels of Little Garden, a Demon Lord was not a spectacle.
It was a catastrophe.
Wherever a Demon Lord appeared, Communities were destroyed. Lives were lost.
The joyous atmosphere of the festival shattered instantly.
Chaos spread like wildfire.
As the emotional pillar of the North District, the strongest Floor Master—Shiroyasha—rose as if to speak and calm the crowd.
But before she could utter a word—
A black storm materialized around her.
It condensed into a spherical vortex and completely imprisoned her within it.
Shiroyasha immediately attempted to break free.
Yet the moment she exerted her power, she realized something alarming.
The black storm was not born from an individual's strength.
It was a manifestation of the Gift Game's rules.
And if it was rule-based—
Then even someone of Shiroyasha's caliber could not defy the will of Little Garden itself.
She had been designated as the Game Leader for the participant side.
Yet she was sealed before the game even began.
It was absurd.
It was unreasonable.
And yet—
It was binding.
Black Rabbit, as the official referee of the Gift Game, possessed arbitration authority. She could challenge the fairness of a game and temporarily suspend it.
Without hesitation, she invoked her right of appeal to Little Garden's central system.
Both the Host and Participant sides were summoned to present themselves and clarify whether the Gift Game violated fairness principles.
Demon Lords possessed the authority to forcibly initiate Gift Games.
But even Demon Lords could not alter the fundamental rule—
The game must be fair.
Soon, inside a grand hall within Salamandra's festival grounds, representatives gathered around a long conference table.
On one side sat Sandora, the North District's Floor Master, along with members of Salamandra and No Name.
Opposite them—
The Host Community.
『GrimmGrimoireHameln』.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
The Demon Lord behind the attack.
Three individuals represented GrimmGrimoireHameln.
One was a sharp-looking man with short black hair, dressed in a military-style uniform.
Another was a voluptuous woman wearing a white swimsuit-like outfit, a white cape draped behind her shoulders, and ears reminiscent of an elf's—radiating mature allure.
The third—
A small girl.
She wore a black-and-white spotted dress, a black headband tied around her rose-colored hair.
From their posture and subtle deference, it was obvious who stood at the center of authority.
The spotted-dress girl.
In other words—
The Demon Lord leading the assault…
Was the loli.
Black Rabbit stood at the center of the room.
As referee, she held judgment and arbitration authority. She could question the Host's rules and suspend the game.
But such actions came at a price.
If the Host had indeed violated the rules, they would be penalized.
But if the game was proven fair—
Then the Host could claim wrongful accusation and demand additional reasonable advantages as compensation.
Even with arbitration rights, Black Rabbit rarely chose to suspend a game.
The stakes were too high.
A single miscalculation could make the situation far worse.
But this time, she had no choice.
The rules were too strange.
Shiroyasha had been designated the Participant Leader—
Yet she was sealed by unknown means and prevented from participating.
That was outrageous.
Shiroyasha was their strongest combatant. Mandra had invited her to attend Sandora's succession ceremony precisely for that reason.
The Demon Lord had arrived as anticipated.
But their greatest safeguard—
Was now sealed in the middle of the festival grounds, unable to act.
The rose-haired girl spoke first, her voice calm and cold.
"First, I will state that our Gift Game is absolutely fair. The sealing of the White Night Stellar Spirit does not violate the game's rules in any way."
"Second, regarding the unjust accusation against our Community, I request that the suspension period of this Gift Game be extended to the maximum allowable duration."
Black Rabbit's rabbit ears twitched slightly.
As a Moon Rabbit of the "Little Garden Aristocracy," her ears were directly connected to the central system of Little Garden.
She could detect deception.
That was why Shiroyasha often appointed her as referee.
Now all eyes turned to her.
Everyone waited for her verdict.
But slowly—
Her long ears drooped.
Through the response from the central system, she had confirmed it.
The Demon Lord named Pest—
Was not lying.
GrimmGrimoireHameln had not violated any rules.
The Gift Game was legally sound.
Yet something about Pest's request troubled her.
Why extend the suspension time to the maximum?
If Black Rabbit remembered correctly, the participants had two victory conditions.
One: defeat the Host's designated Game Leader.
Two: "Break the false legacy and establish the true legacy."
Both conditions had to be fulfilled to win.
The second condition clearly resembled a puzzle—a mystery to unravel.
But if the suspension period was extended, wouldn't that give the participants more time to think?
Wouldn't that benefit them?
Why would the Host voluntarily surrender their advantage?
Unless—
Was the Demon Lord showing mercy?
Was she intentionally giving them a chance because their odds seemed slim?
A voice suddenly broke through the silence.
"Because their objective was never immediate victory."
It was Ren Kuroda.
"When the Demon Lord arrived, most people only noticed the black documents falling from the sky."
He glanced toward the arena outside.
"They didn't pay attention to the black storm that raged at the very beginning."
His eyes darkened.
"By now, quite a few people in the venue should already be experiencing… adverse reactions."
..
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